The Massacre of the Innocents
ca. 1590
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk (recto); sketch for the decoration of a spandrel in pen and brown ink over red chalk (verso)
Dimensions
15-11/16 x 21-13/16 in. (39.9 x 55.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.149
Tags
Art Historical Context
This powerful drawing by Giovanni Battista della Rovere captures the biblical Massacre of the Innocents, the harrowing episode in which King Herod ordered the slaughter of young children in Bethlehem. Created around 1590, the sheet presents a turbulent composition filled with anguished mothers, fleeing figures, and soldiers in violent motion, emphasizing the human drama of the event through expressive poses and crowded groupings. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and wash over black chalk, the work demonstrates the artist’s mastery of fluid line and tonal modeling to convey depth and e...